Under 12's banned from heading the ball (in training)



Absolutely pathetic that unelected bureaucrats can force this change. They’ve probably never played football in their lives, the stuck up Eton ponces

why do they, medical degrees aside, know more about our children’s health than us?
 
AB22 Easy Tiger said:
Here’s the original study from Glasgow Uni

University of Glasgow - Explore - Avenue - World-changing research - Showing dementia the red card

www.gla.ac.uk www.gla.ac.uk
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Cheers for the link, and since no one on here seems to have actually read it here is an interesting point:
"Contrary to popular opinion, the regulation weight of a football hasn’t changed for more than 100 years – just the design. The older balls, made of leather, would soak up water when they got wet and become heavier. When they were wet, however, they would fly through the air more slowly than modern synthetic ones, so would connect with the head with a similar force to today’s faster balls."
 
Honess10 said:
well 5* more likely to die of Parkinson’s is fairly conclusive. Does it even matter? Surely the risk is enough - as in its much more likely to be linked than not - to stop it in the early age groups. This isn’t about stopping it for adults. It’s about young kids with still forming brains and skulls. as I say it would seem strange to me to decide otherwise. It’s ownly a game of football man
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You can't even get that right marra.

Five times more likely to have Alzheimer's.
Four times more likely to have MND.
Twice as likely to have Parkinson's.

This was based on a sample of 7,676 men who played professional football between the years 1900 and 1976, compared with 23,000 age-matched dead Scotsmen. I'm not sure what relevance playing football in Scotland 45-120 years ago has to the modern game. The link to heading the football is inconclusive. More research is required.

The same study found that former players were less susceptible to cancer and heart disease.

"Previous research has indicated a link between severe head injuries and Parkinson's. This study adds to our understanding, suggesting that repeated lower level impacts - such as those from heading a heavy leather football - may also increase risk.

"More research is needed to confirm these findings, and to understand the risks of heading lightweight modern footballs.

"It's also important to stress that a two-fold increase in risk is relatively modest. The benefits of football - both in lowering the risk of cancer and heart disease, and in helping people stay fit and active - are likely to outweigh the negatives."
 
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chriswallace85 said:
You can't even get that right marra.

Five times more likely to have Alzheimer's.
Four times more likely to have MND.
Twice as likely to have Parkinson's.

This was based on a sample of 7,676 men who played professional football between the years 1900 and 1976, compared with 23,000 age-matched dead Scotsmen. I'm not sure what relevance playing football in Scotland 45-120 years ago has to the modern game. The link to heading the football is inconclusive. More research is required.

The same study found that former players were less susceptible to cancer and heart disease.

"Previous research has indicated a link between severe head injuries and Parkinson's. This study adds to our understanding, suggesting that repeated lower level impacts - such as those from heading a heavy leather football - may also increase risk.

"More research is needed to confirm these findings, and to understand the risks of heading lightweight modern footballs.

"It's also important to stress that a two-fold increase in risk is relatively modest. The benefits of football - both in lowering the risk of cancer and heart disease, and in helping people stay fit and active - are likely to outweigh the negatives."
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In my opinion it’s still a sensible decision. Without getting too scientific about it all when you weigh up the benefits of any risk you look at the outcomes by mitigating the risk or accepting the risk. So if we take this option to mitigate the risk then the worst that can happen is young kids aren’t heading a football when they could have been doing it. I don’t really see the harm done there if we’ve made the wrong choice... on the other hand if we choose to accept the risk then if we’ve made the wrong choice we’re subjecting our young children to -a minimum - double the risk of horrible disease and degenerative brain injuries. On balance I know what I would choose. Just my opinion marra.
 
Kids will always try and head the ball when playing their own games, as long as on TV they see their favourite players doing it.
Kids learn by imitation. When coached they now won't be shown how to head the ball properly which could be even more dangerous.
The only real way to stop it is to completely ban it for adults as well as kids, but I can't see that happening.
 
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RichD said:
How are kids supposed to learn to head the ball if you can't do it in training?

Moving forward to loads of long balls into the box and kids letting it bounce everywhere...
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I did my learning in the street with me mate doing the crossing, although I was probably older than 12.

I cannot recall doing much heading of the ball when I was younger anyway.

Long balls into the box is pretty shit football anyway for the main.
SurreyMackem said:
I doubt if any under 11 coach practices heading the ball in training in fact I can't recall any modern coaching drill that involves heading.
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Or old for that matter in my experience.
gipetto said:
Kids will grow up scared of heading the ball. Fast forward twenty years time and our national team will be getting done on set pieces every game.
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I’d rather they were taught how to defend a ball on the ground as they seem pretty scared of that but not in an attacking sense for some bizarre reason.

The art of defending has been lost, there’s not many good defenders about.
 
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ontap said:
The yanks did this ages ago , am surprised it's taken us so long , it's the first step towards eradicating it from the game completely , people saying we should be teaching heading as s skill are talking bollox , ask Dave Watson's missus . Won't happen in my lifetime , bu eventually there won't be a need for the wykes , Lafferty's in the game anymore, it's inevitable.
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This is true. We haven’t been able to have the kids head the ball until they are at the U14 level. What’s worse is that if a kid inadvertently heads the ball, they immediately stop play, check on the kid and then resume play with a drop ball. I’m afraid that heading the ball may become a lost art for those countries that establish this rule. I personally am not a fan of it for heading the ball is an integral part of the game and should be taught at a young age (around U10-12) level.
 

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